BELIZE CITY, Belize (24 Dec 2007) — A dive guide working on the Nekton Pilot is missing and presumed dead after a scuba diving accident in Belize. Belize officials told CDNN that Cory Monk, 35, disappeared on Thursday, December 20 while night diving off the Florida-based liveaboard. Monk, a popular dive instructor who led dive groups and taught scuba diving courses, had been working on the Nekton Pilot for about seven years. After he failed to return to the dive boat, the Nekton Pilot crew launched a search but found no trace of their fellow crew member despite perfect weather and calm seas. The Belize Coast Guard joined the search with boats and aircraft but also found no trace of Monk and called off the search earlier today. According to eyewitness reports, Monk went missing while diving solo and without properly functioning scuba diving equipment. The victim was from Roanoke, Illinois where his parents, Bob and Connie, still live. A memorial service will be held for Cory Monk on Jan. 18, 2008, which would have been his 36th birthday. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK | 
